Twice a year, the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) is the place to see the largest display of the world’s best best home, gift and lifestyle resources. It takes place at the Javits Center, and Piers 92 & 94. We attended on Monday and came away inspired by so much of what we saw. Trends? Not surprisingly: color. Gone are the organic, neutral color schemes. It’s clear that Americans are looking for a little bit of brightness in what has been a pretty difficult period in the word of home design and construction. We’re happy about that because we’re big fans of confident color both in interiors and fashion. Below, millworks, a newcomer to NYIGF, displayed a fabulous new collection of silk screen patterned pillows.

We saw these pillows from a mile a way– literally. The business has not been existence since 1972, that’s just a nod to the period they wink back at. Chocolate brown dominated here, but mixed with a wonderful cobalt blue, and a mustard yellow, and even orange–this was a true departure from typical color combinations. Wonderful. For a closer look, go to themillworkgroup.com.

The team from OOMPH, now exactly a year old and thriving in their new business were in attendance with several new pieces.We had borrowed one of their terrific coffee tables for our Good Housekeeping shoot. They’ve introduced this new console table and the mirror above it for their fall 2010 collection. The color is new, too. While we wouldn’t like to see these pieces together in a room, we’d take either one in a heartbeat and pair it with something vintage.

This crazy back-to-back two seater chair is adorable. Upholstered in a gorgeous dark brown velvet, it stole the show. We love white piping on any upholstered piece. It’s a detail that lasts.

Ooomph sells the most versatile “tini” side tables in a variety of clever shapes–perfect for small apartments and tight spaces. They’re reasonably priced, too. You can find pricing at ooomphonline.com.

This is a new nesting table combination, painted in the palest blue lacquer finish. So feminine and pretty. You’d have a hard time finding anything else like this, and that’s exactly what makes their line great.

We stopped by Jamie Young lamps, one of our favorite vendors, and found several new items. We’re huge Ikat textile fans, so we were drawn to this new lampshade. A lampshade like this can be the inspiration for an entire room, and it might just become that–so stay tuned.

Jamie Young has always sold wonderful mercury glass lamps, but this fall they’re introducing this slightly distressed version. Very cool looking. We like.

Lauren in particular went crazy over the new Sachin + Babi for Ankasa pillow and bed linen collection. These pillows are decorated in the most luxurious fashion, but in the most tasteful way. We saw other vendors trying to create a similar lavish look, but no one does so as well as Ankasa.

These pillows are absolutely works of art. All you would need is one, maybe two, to make a big difference in any bedroom.

Our last stop was at Barbara Cosgrove lighting. They’ve come out with a new collection of hammered alumininum hanging pieces that caught our eye. We really liked the bronzed copper color pair in the background here.

This combination of exquisite pedestal form (we actually own a vintage piece exactly like this one ) with a subtle taupe colored shade was elegant. Keep your eyes peeled for vintage lamps like this. – S & L

You’d have to have blinders on not to notice the neon trend going on in fashion and home collections right now. We were inspired by these hot pink tables designed by oomph to find the best neon paint colors out there (we’ll be painting a thrift store find next week). Bright yellows and greens felt right to us in terms of longevity, and flexibility within rooms–though we do love pink.Here are our favorite neon paint colors on the market right now. Not to be overused! These colors are meant to be used on small scale furniture and single walls in rooms. Let us know your favorite color, and the color with the most positive comments will be the one we put to task this weekend on the small-scale dressers we found this week. From left to right, Rosco yellow #5882, green #5783, and pink #5786.

Lovely neon pieces worth springing for:

1. Madeline Weinrib Luce HotPink pillow, at ABC Carpet & Home, 2. Essie Neon Nail polish, check you local salon, 3. Converse Chuck Taylor Shoes in Neon Green, $39.99, 4. Design within Reach Nine-O Swivel Armchair designed by Ettore Sottsass, $880, 5. The Conran Shop Bussolari Frida Yellow Picture Frame, 10.25x 12.25in., $56.50, 6. Jonathan Adler Mohair Throw, 51 x 71, $295.00, 7. Tom Binns neon cuff.

If you’re in the New York city area this weekend, you should try and attend the 2010 Dining by Design event, which is adjacent and coinciding with the Architectural Digest Home Show at Pier 94-12th Avenue at 55th Street. The event benefits DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids). You can learn more about it by visiting www.DIFFA.org. We’re going to be manning an interactive New York Design Bloggers table on Saturday from 2 ’til 4 PM, so please stop by. We’d love to introduce ourselves. – S & L

Lauren and I explored the “at Home” exhibition at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) yesterday. Between the two of us, we’ve attended so many of these exhibitions we’ve both developed a sort of mindset that helps us to edit what we’re seeing while we’re seeing it. As we take off down each aisle, we’re not really looking for the latest industry trends, we’re interested in finding pieces that excite us. The pieces we love are usually inspired by primitive American design, or classic European forms. We look for this whether we’re at a flea market, antique show, or at a major exhibition of pieces made in 2010 such as this one. And the more you observe great classic pieces, the more you know what to look for when choosing something for your home that will really last. We were happy to see that many furniture makers were reproducing classic old tables, chairs, and lighting in really appealing ways. This idea of making old things new was best executed by a Little Rock, Arkansas company called Park Hill. Their booth was truly exciting. Controlled clutter for some, but for us, nirvana. Check it out:
The Park Hill partners have traveled extensively both in this country and abroad, and the pieces they’ve collected along the way have been reproduced with a very thoughtful eye. The results are some of the best we’ve seen.Apparently this chandelier is a bestseller in their store (one of two) in Little Rock, Arkansas. If you look closely, you’ll see it is lit with small votive candles.
We’re always drawn to Ankasa pillows and linens, and at this show, we loved what we saw. Their unique fusion of fashion and home comes across so strongly in their pillows. Their color palettes each season mirror what’s happening on the runway. We’re loving the chocolate brown collection.
Ankasa’s latest invention is a bed scarf. It’s designed to be like an accessory, at the foot of the bed; not unlike the scarves we throw around our necks. Lauren is particularly skilled at this–but you probably know that already.
This sofa will have to remain anonymous for now. I honestly cannot remember which booth I saw it in. If you recall, please advise! We were drawn to the exaggerated height of the seat back.  And how pretty is it to put single stems in small glass and silver bottles? Sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most successful.
For all of you first time apartment dwellers (and just about anyone who loves color), we highly recommend these adorable small side tables made by OOMPH in Connecticut. Their color selection is fabulous and the lacquer finish on all of their pieces is exquisite.
And finally, for all of you environmentally friendly consumers, please check out the wonderful blankets and pillows from in2green. We adore their chic home accessories, made from recycled textiles. They’re really warm and durable, as well as pretty. A wonderful gift for anyone, especially right about now. Happy February! – S

We attended the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) at Pier 94 on Monday. In case this is the first you’ve heard of it, NYIGF is where new (400 this time around) and established home design and lifestyle companies exhibit their products for the upcoming season. At this event, there were about 2,900 exhibitors offering 100,000 lines in 300 categories. That’s a lot of merchandise, so here’s our warning: NYIGF is not for those who seek instant gratification, nor is it for those who don’t like to shop (but you wouldn’t be reading our blog if you didn’t like to shop!). It’s definitely an event you have to gear yourself up for; this a serious place of business. Vendors are selling their merchandise to retailers and others who are buying in wholesale quantities. Everyone who attends this event is working, and frankly, it’s kind of intense! That’s why we thought we’d edit the best of it for you, and save you an expensive trip. So, without further a due, here’s our round-up of the NYIGF Summer 2009.

Best pillows: Taking illustrations from old books and converting them on to textiles in bold, modern colors, Design Legacy by Kelly O’Neal makes fantastic pillows. Soft to the touch, not too stuffy, and very unique in the pillow market. Even the shapes are somewhat non traditional. We’re loving this vendor from Dallas, Texas.
Blue. Love it. Want it.
A room just needs one of these pillows to make it interesting.
Best Newcomer: We discovered this brand new company called Oomph. Tables, pillows, and chairs designed to give your home just that. We fell hard for Oomph’s “tini tables” that are perfect for resting drinks on, and they’re available in 15 colors. Great for small spaces!
The tini tables with cool fabric tops under the glass. You can even provide your own fabric–as, for now, it’s all custom.
Here are two of the three partners embarking upon their new venture. These ladies are really cool and full of enthusiasm for their new business. Don’t they look great?! We wish them well.
This is just one of their awesome glass coffee tables. It comes in five styles and 15 fabulous, fashion forward, high-lacquer colors.
Best Reproductions: Zentique, from Norcross, Georgia displayed really well-done reproductions of classic furniture forms in unfinished and eco-friendly materials. All were covered in neutral organic fabrics. This makes them so movable from room to room.
Much funkier repros were found at Camilla House Imports, from Mississauga, Ontario. They featured this classic Louis armless chair with painted frame and pvc fabric. Think patent leather shoes in lots of great colors. Not surprisingly, the hot pink version is a personal favorite of Lauren’s.
Best Perfectly Simple: Chelsea Textiles, from Mountainside, New Jersey makes the most beautiful simple, clean case pieces inspired by history. – S & L